We finally received our Fingerprint Appt. Letter

We mailed our 1800A application on November 16th and it was received on November 17th.  We received our receiot which was dated November 22nd which is when our application was entered into the system.

We were happy to get our letter so we will try to walk in asap to get our fingerprints completed.

Then we have to wait again for our approval letter...then our paperwork will be off to China!

We received a Letter from Lily!!

TRANSLATION:

My dear daddy and mommy:

This is Yu Li Pei. I was very happy to receive the letter and gift from daddy and mommy. Mommy, I am in second grade at Jian Xin elementary school now. I have been always wanted to have daddy and mommy to love me. Now I have my own family. Mom, you are so beautiful. I really wish I could go home soon and see you and my brothers and sisters.

At peacetime, I enjoy dancing and riding bicycle. I can’t wait to learn and play with sister Sydney, too! Even the wait is so long, I will study hard and wait for daddy and mommy come pick me up patiently.

I wish daddy and mommy, brothers and sisters happy every day.

Your child, Yu Li Pei

First Care Package to Chongqing

Angela with Ladybugs and Love helped us to send Lily a care package.  She loved our gift.

Meanwhile, I sent 3 care packages on  my own.  One filled with clothes for Lily and a hair brush kit.  The other 2 were filled with toys for all the children and a ton of English learning materials.

I forgot to take pictures of the 3 big boxes.

Introducing Our Daughter, Lily

We are so excited and as you can imagine...Sydney is THRILLED!  She cannot wait to bring her sister home. 

We sent in our Letter of Intent on Sept. 1 and received our Pre Approval on September 13th.  We have been working hard on our paperwork and hope to travel to China in June.

Please pray that we do not run into many delays and that our process is a smooth one. 

Thanks to everyone who prayed and sent words of encouragement for Lily. 

Part 3: Waiting

In the spring of 2008 while Xia was preparing to meet her new family, Little Pei "Pay" was finally having her paperwork prepared for international adoption eligibility.  But sadly, for the next two years...she waited.  While Xia became known as Sydney and thrived in her new environment, Pei waited.  While Sydney learned English and felt the love of a family,

Pei waited.

Finally in early 2010, her file was listed on the shared list.  It was two years old and with her outdated pictures, older age, and shaved head...she was overlooked.  

 But she WAS noticed by someone.  Someone saw her as more than just a picture or a "file" but as a daughter. Someone was longing for her and praying for her each and everyday.  Someone wished for her to find a family even it could not be hers. 

Someone also waited. 

Several more months passed and it seemed hopeless that she would ever find a family, but then God moved mountains.

I am very thankful and blessed to say that Pei now has a family and they are working very hard to bring her home this summer.  And the best part of all...Pei knows she has a family.

OUR FAMILY 

Part 2: A Fork in the Road

In 2007, Xia's paperwork was submitted for the international adoption program.

 Many adoptive parents have tried to figure out how the order in which children from a particular orphanage are selected to become eligible for adoption.  So far we have not found any rhyme or reason as to the particular order in which the children enter the adoption system.  There are many children from our daughter's orphanage who were adopted before Sydney who were both older and younger.  There are also many children who were adopted after Sydney who were both older and younger.  They are all beautiful, smart, healthy, and very well adjusted children. 

 It seems that it is the "luck of the draw" so to speak.

So, in January 2008 Xia's family saw her picture for the first time.
She was almost 6 years old and her family could not wait to bring her home.

In June 2008, her family traveled to China to bring her home.  Xia's dream came true.  She finally had a Forever Family to call her own...Our family.  She is now known as

Sydney Fu Xia.                               

But what about Pei?  The little girl who shared such a similar beginning? 

to be continued... 

Part 1: Parallel Lives

This post is about 2 girls.  Two girls that have experienced such a similar beginning in life. 


One of the little girls (Xia) was born on May 1, 2002 and the other (Pei) was born just a couple of weeks later.  The first little girl was born in Wuzhou, Guangxi China while the other little girl was born in Chongqing City, Chongqing China. 

Little Xia suffered the repercussions of China's one-child policy first and she was found at the orphanage gate when she was around 15 months old.  Just 3 months later, Pei suffered the same fate.  They both once knew the love of a family but experienced tremendous loss when they were only toddlers. 

They both were lucky in that they ended up in orphanages that were both sponsored by the Half the Sky Foundation.  Half the Sky "provides individual nurture and stimulation for babies, innovative preschools that encourage an early love of learning, personalized learning opportunities for older children, and love".

They were also lucky to grow up in orphanages that participate in international adoption thus giving them a better chance to one day have a forever family.

They were both described as clever, very smart, outgoing, active, compassionate, and happy children.   Most importantly they both very much wanted to be adopted and experience the love of a forever family.

                            Xia                                                                                Pei

to be continued...